First look: Zaha Hadid Architects’ flower-inspired lobby for Southbank Tower November 22, 2019 The critically-acclaimed firm of architects founded by the late Zaha Hadid is responsible for London cultural landmarks like the London Aquatics Centre built for the 2012 Olympic Games and the Serpentine Sackler Gallery in Hyde Park. Until now it had not worked on any residential projects in the UK, but it has just started a [...]
Property focus on Sloane Square: This 1980s hotspot is experiencing a revival November 22, 2019 It may be famed for being the social epicentre for the young and blue-blooded in the 1980s, having lent its name to the Sloane Ranger set which included Princess Diana and Sarah Ferguson. But the area around Sloane Square is now getting a modern makeover – and vying with other parts of Chelsea and Mayfair [...]
Focus on Wood Green: First-time buyers flock to this up-and-coming North London locale November 15, 2019 Known to many Londoners as the gateway to a night out at the Alexandra Palace, Wood Green is situated on the border between North East and North West London, just within the North Circular. It is also home to Wood Green Animal Shelter, one of the largest in London which was recently the subject of [...]
These are the top 10 London apartment blocks to rent in, according to residents November 15, 2019 More people in London are renting for longer. While that might conjure up images of shoddy house-shares and nightmare landlords, property developers are now trying to capitalise on the sheer volume of renters in the market by offering them an altogether better experience. Today, it’s not uncommon to find cinema rooms, fitness facilities and co-working [...]
The first flat in Battersea Power Station is now complete – we take a look inside November 15, 2019 Plenty of property developers try to brand their latest apartment block as ‘iconic,’ which, nice as many of them are, is usually a bit of a stretch. The redevelopment of Battersea Power Station into 253 luxury flats and a new headquarters for Apple doesn’t have that problem, however. Other than a three-year hiatus from 2015 [...]
The Aeronauts film review: Felicity Jones shines in this good old-fashioned adventure November 8, 2019 A template is emerging for films starring Eddie Redmayne, and The Aeronauts fits it. It’s a period piece (in this case, the 1860s), everyone is endearingly upper-class, and proceedings are dominated at all times by an overriding sense of whimsy. It is based on the true Victorian adventure story of scientist James Glaisher (Redmayne) and [...]
Focus on Barnsbury: An elegant oasis between Islington and King’s Cross November 8, 2019 Barnsbury counts bustling King’s Cross and lively Upper Street among its neighbours. But if you were blindfolded and dropped in the middle of one of its streets you’d probably think you were in a sedate suburb rather than the heart of N1. Firstly, it is very quiet – so quiet that, in 2013, one of [...]
Property of the Week: A modern mews hidden in the heart of the legal district November 8, 2019 London lawyers looking for a pied-a-terre could find their perfect home in this secluded new mews development in the heart of the legal district. Pinks Mews is a Victorian block on Dyers Buildings; a quiet gated street set just behind the hustle and bustle of Holborn. It has just been redeveloped to create 35 luxury, [...]
Office Space: Inside the opulent Mayfair base of luxury property developer Clivedale November 1, 2019 Real estate firms’ offices tend to fit into one of two moulds: a converted Mayfair townhouse, an old-fashioned relic left over from the days where Hanover Square was overrun with estate agents in braces and pinstripe suits; or a clinical, corporate space interchangeable with that of any other property company, law firm or accountant. Super-prime [...]
Sorry We Missed You film review: Ken Loach’s attack on the gig economy feels important to watch November 1, 2019 Sorry We Missed You is the latest offering from director-slash-social-critic Ken Loach; a polemic against the false promises of the gig economy and the brutal reality of life on a zero-hours contract. Its protagonist is Ricky (Kris Hitchen), who gets a new job as a delivery driver because he wants to buy a house for [...]